Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
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caitdarfler.com
Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
@caitdarfler.com
1.8K followers 1.9K following 1.2K posts
picture book writer. mom. geologist. environmentalist. gardener. jigsaw puzzler. #SCBWI #kidlit 🏳️‍🌈

PBParty2025 Finalist!

www.caitdarfler.com

Rep'd by Joyce Sweeney @joycekay.bsky.social
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caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Where is the Dragon?
Leo Timmers

Caught the Timmers-bug and enjoy this art so damn much. Fun characters. Silly trick your mind plays in the dark.
Book cover for "Where is the dragon?" showing three small armored knights with red plumes and huge noses, peering from grass beneath a large black dragon silhouette against a starry sky.
September 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

A Fish Like Me
Jamie Sumner & Devon Holzwarth
@devonholzwarth.bsky.social

Really well done story. Combining some magic of imagination with a fun mindset around therapy and mobility.
Children's book cover for "A Fish Like Me" showing a smiling child with arm floaties underwater reaching toward a colorful tropical fish among coral, sea plants and bubbles, and a wheelchair pictured on the pool deck above.
September 28, 2026 at 10:37 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Wide Open Spaces
Robyn McGrath & Polina Gortman
@polinagortman.bsky.social

Lyrical story of a family road trip. Fantastical-imagination moments at different points across the trip. Back matter on mindfulness. Very sweet.
Children's book cover "Wide Open Spaces" showing a smiling child with green-tipped hair and arms outstretched, sitting on a large orange sea shell in a meadow.
September 25, 2026 at 10:43 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Old Blue is My Home
Lita Judge

Very well done housing insecurity story. Good at building empathy about different situations. Shows the joy that living in the van gives the family too.
Children's book cover "Old Blue Is My Home" showing a family camping by a blue van at dusk. 2 children are reading by a lantern inside the van, a dog nearby, and parents are hand washing and hanging clothes.
September 23, 2026 at 10:15 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Whale, That Was Unexpected
Casey Lyall
Kathryn Durst
@caseylyall.bsky.social

My new favorite read-aloud. Cumulative story of sorts. Great wordplay and rhythm. Fun voice. I enjoyed reading this one.
Children's book cover "Whale, That Was Unexpected" showing a giant whale's open mouth looming over a stoic fisherwoman and a dog, both in yellow rain gear, on a boat
September 21, 2026 at 10:37 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Robin and the Stick
E.B. Goodale
@ebgoodale.bsky.social

Kid growing stronger. The stick collecting felt so true (like based on a real kid). Growth mindset to collect the branch. Simple illustrations with great use of the red sweater.
September 18, 2026 at 10:43 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

I'm… (series)
Michael Ian Black
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
@michaelianblack.bsky.social
@debbieohi.com

This whole series is great. Funny. Kid-friendly. Great read aloud. A girl, a flamingo, and a potato. Love it!
Photo of 5 picture books. each with a pastel cover and I'm the title in bold. some have a pink flamingo on them, others a brown potato or others a line drawn girl with yellow hair clips.
September 16, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
pjpurtee.bsky.social
THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE: The Unimaginary Friend
✍🏻 & 🎨 Dan Santat @dansantat.bsky.social
2014, Little Brown BYR

#PB #Friendship #adventure #journey
#Caldecott Medal

an island🏝️
an imaginary friend
a journey to find a friend
❤️❤️❤️

🥰 🥰 🥰
#kidlit #librarians #teachers #parents
September 15, 2026 at 9:54 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Have you seen my Invisible Dinosaur?
Helen Yoon

Really well done illustrations of something invisible. Magical realism.

SPOILERS: You think the kid is just imagining it, but then he finds the dinosaur.
Children's book cover for "Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?" showing a small child in a yellow hat carrying a coiled blue hose and peering up against a speckled pale background.
September 14, 2026 at 10:37 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Seahorse is Furious (and there is NOTHING you can do about it)
Morag Hood
@moraghood.bsky.social

Story looks at the small steps you can make even if someone is grumpy. Just being there is most important of all.
Children's book cover titled "Seahorse Is Furious" showing an angry blue seahorse on a blue background with smiling yellow fish, a smiling red crab, and smiling green seaweed
September 11, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
poetnikki.bsky.social
Not a bad day. The announcement went out this afternoon: The Poetry Foundation chose moi as the next Young People's Poet Laureate! That's reason enough to smile, don't you think?
September 9, 2026 at 11:43 PM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Pizzasaurus
Tammi Sauer & Kyle Beckett
@tammisauer.bsky.social
@kybeckett.bsky.social

I was caught off guard with how funny and kid-friendly this was. Lots of puns and dino humor. Excellent read-aloud.
Cover for "PIZZASAURUS" showing a smiling orange, polka-dotted dinosaur wearing a chef's hat and holding a dripping slice of pizza beside an open pizza box.
September 9, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
sarahsteinbacher.bsky.social
Craving a fresh bedtime story? Check out this stellar picture book by @jessixabagley.bsky.social

THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSIE is perfect for space fans!

Read my interview with Jessixa Bagley at www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/intervi...

#picturebooks #kidlit #kidlitauthor #authorillustrator #booksky
The image discusses children’s literature and features Jessixa Bagley’s picture book THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSE, an illustrated children’s book about a child’s bedtime ritual that visualizes a journey home from the farthest corner of the universe. Against a dark starry background, the title reads: “Bedtime Kidlit.” Below the title to the right is a large image of the cover of the picture book THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSE, written and illustrated by Jessixa Bagley and published by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House. To the left of the book are 4 reviews, each with the reviewer’s icon. The top review from Booklist says: “this serene visual poem offers an inventive, indelible lullaby, a luminous choice for bedtime collections.” The second review from Publishers Weekly says: “this epic wind-down melds telescopic reach with snuggly intimacy.” The third review from School Library Journal says: “a lulling cadence well suited for bedtime sharing.” The bottom review from Kirkus says: “a calming tale that makes the infinite feel a little more manageable.” At the bottom is “Exclusive Interview” with an arrow pointing to: https://www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/interview-jessixa-bagley
September 8, 2026 at 1:49 PM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Bear's Lost Glasses
Leo Timmers

Really funny. What does the world look like without glasses? Silly friendship story. Great expressions.
Cover for "Bear's Lost Glasses" showing a bear peeking from the bottom with wide eyes and red round glasses on their head.
September 7, 2026 at 10:37 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Home
Tonya Lippert & Andrea Stegmaier
@andreastegmaier.bsky.social

Covers a family struggling with permanent housing and different ways a home might look. Very well done and opened lots of conversations.
September 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
brianlarossa.com
Hey illustrators,

How about this, to celebrate the 1st #kidlitartpostcard of the fall season (Labor Day is so late this year!) I’m going to offer a free 1 hour portfolio review + coaching session via Zoom.

To enter share 1 image from your portfolio below and a winner will be chosen at random.

💙❤️
September 3, 2026 at 11:08 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Bo The Brave
Bethan Woollvin
@bethanwoollvin.bsky.social

Love this story of a little girl befriending the "beasts" and saving the dragon her brother went to hunt. She shows them!
Cover for "BO THE BRAVE" showing a pink-haired child in a cape standing on a mountain peak with a raised sword, surrounded by trees and clouds.
September 2, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
ilonakidscribe.bsky.social
Check it out, and please repost! "Cats, Chess, and Finding Your People: An Interview with CAT TAKES QUEEN Author Ilona Bray (and a Giveway!!)" writersrumpus.com/2026/09/01/c...
Cats, Chess, and Finding Your People: An Interview with CAT TAKES QUEEN Author Ilona Bray (and a Giveway!!)
I first connected with Ilona Bray through social media and its vibrant online kidlit community. Right away, I was drawn to her warmth, thoughfulness, and creative spirit—not to mention the beautifu…
writersrumpus.com
September 1, 2026 at 10:48 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

The Blanket Where Violet Sits
Allan Wolf & Lauren Tobia

"The House That Jack Built" style while going out to the universe level. Lovely rhythm and expanding perspective.
Cover for "The Blanket Where Violet Sits" showing a family on a grassy hillside in a city, girl is bundled on a red blanket looking through a telescope at the moon.
August 31, 2026 at 10:37 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Llama Destroys the World
Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox

Zany. Hilarious. Just perfect for silly kids. Unintended consequences conversations. Great art. Love it!
Cover for "LLAMA DESTROYS THE WORLD" bright orange background with large white title text, small cartoon llama saying "I am Llama!"
August 28, 2026 at 10:43 AM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

How to be a Lion
Ed Vere
@edvere.bsky.social

Love this story and art. Finding courage in words and friendship.
Cover for "How to Be a Lion" showing a simple black outlined lion and a golden orange background
August 26, 2026 at 10:15 AM
caitdarfler.com
@debbieohi.com @debbieohi.com
Summer reading documentation.
My little got into the full series! #picturebookart #picturebook #illustrator
Kids colored pencil drawing of a flamingo, potato and girl from "I'm Bored"
August 25, 2026 at 5:53 PM
caitdarfler.com
My kids are capy-crazed!
August 24, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION!
pjpurtee.bsky.social
WHEN YOU FIND THE RIGHT ROCK
✍🏻 Mary Lyn Ray
🎨 Felicita Sala
2024, Chronicle

#PB #rocks #feelings #emotion #nature

BIG rocks 🪨 for standing on ❤️
little rocks 🛘 for your pocket ❤️
etc.

🥰 🥰 🥰
#kidlit #librarians #teachers #parents
August 24, 2026 at 2:56 PM
caitdarfler.com
📚👍 So many good books.
#kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks

Toto
Hyewon Yum

Really lovely. Great use of color. First day of school nervous and also fearing revealing a piece of yourself. This story is frequently requested in our house.
Cover for picture book "Toto" showing a pencil-drawn smiling young child pulling her hair back to reveal a red birthmark on her forehead.
August 24, 2026 at 10:37 AM